By Our Man at the Emirates
THE EMIRATES STADIUM was a cauldron of North London noise last night as Arsenal proved once again that there’s no place like home, surviving a late scare to edge past Fulham 2-1.
Mikel Arteta’s side turned the Holloway ground into a fortress of frustration for the visitors, extending their incredible unbeaten home run against the Cottagers to 33 matches. From the moment “North London Forever” rang out across the 60,000-capacity arena, the atmosphere was electric—and it needed to be.
The Gunners dominated the early turf but suffered a major blow just 15 minutes in when defensive rock Gabriel limped off, sending a hush through the stands.
However, the Emirates faithful didn’t have to wait long to erupt. In the 37th minute, MIKEL MERINO found a yard of space inside the box, his deflected strike trickling past former Arsenal man Bernd Leno to send the Clock End into raptures.
But the loudest roar of the night was reserved for the 66th minute.
The stadium almost shook on its foundations as BUKAYO SAKA made his long-awaited return from injury, stepping off the bench to a standing ovation that could be heard as far as Highbury. Within seven minutes of his introduction, “Starboy” delivered.
Rising highest to meet a Gabriel Martinelli flick, Saka headed home to make it 2-0, sparking wild celebrations in the dugouts.
Fulham, to their credit, refused to lie down in the North London rain.
RODRIGO MUNIZ bundled home a scruffy consolation deep in stoppage time, setting up a frantic final two minutes.
But as the visitors pushed, the Emirates crowd rose as one, whistling and cheering their side over the finish line.
The victory keeps Arsenal firmly in the title hunt, and while the scoreline was narrow, the dominance at the Ashburton Grove was anything but.
For Marco Silva and his men, the Emirates remains the ultimate Premier League “No Entry” zone.
